Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, two Australians who are passionate about surfing and the sea, created the Seabin Project in 2015. The goal of this initiative was very clear: to help remove pollution from our seas. The project, based on sustainability and a love for the sea, caught the attention of the management of Port Adriano in Mallorca, who decided to commit to it from the very start. This meant that they were the first port in Spain to get on board, and they eventually went on to become one of the 6 pilot ports worldwide that are collaborating with the Seabin Project.

The Seabin is a marine bin manufactured from 100% recycled materials and is designed to capture small pieces of waste that are floating in the sea. Its pump is capable of absorbing microplastics, packaging and other waste generated by the human activity that is typical of a sports marina.

This is the annual collection capacity of a Seabin, which runs on less than €1 of electricity per day. These buoyant bins are electric, but their energy consumption is highly efficient, so they are able to store up to 20 kg of small waste items at very little cost.

The staff at Port Adriano, along with the other pilot ports that are involved in the project, periodically weigh and separate the waste collected and then log this information in a shared database. This prevents the waste from reaching the sea and contributes towards the continued improvement and development of the project.

Smart bins, sea desalination plants and geothermal cooling are just a few of the projects through which Port Adriano seeks to do its bit to look after the Mediterranean. Even though there is a long road ahead, Isabel has a message that invites us to be optimistic: “We need to keep working, but I believe we are on the right track.”